More Than My Word, A Very Shassie Christmas
by Kira Loves
Summary: Lassiter goes on a private ski trip for Christmas only to run into Shawn. A gamble and a tradition test the detective as he begins to realize his feelings for a certain phony psychic. Shassie.
1. The Game

**A/N: In the true spirit of (commercialized) Christmas, I give to fanfiction my holiday special! Cozy up to your computer screen, sip your hot cocoa and gather 'round the children for a truly marvelous holiday story of snowball fights, mistletoe and SEXY MAN LOVE :D ...on second thought...don't gather 'round the children... D:**

Carlton Lassiter was a man of his word. He'd always had been and nothing would stop him from coming through on his promises. He could put up his life for a bet and even if there was a way to escape the lost gamble, he himself would put the gun to his head and shoot. It was a matter of being a man, of having honor and dignity.

Not that Lassiter gambled much. In fact, he rarely gambled making it very easy to keep his word. Nonetheless, something on that particular day in December had compelled him to make a bet.

Perhaps it was the way the wind blew that day. Maybe it was the bit of extra caffeine in Lassiter's coffee earlier that morning. Or, most likely, it was the fact that Lassiter was so cock sure of his physical abilities that he knew he could outrun a snowball any day of the week.

At least, he though he knew.

Lassiter had treated himself that year to a quick skii trip for Christmas. Not that Lassiter skiied much. No, he preferred to bundle up and traverse into the wilderness where he could stand, breathe in raw nature, and feel like a man. He had the urge to chop down a tree on numerous occasions. How impressive would he be if he chopped down a tree and dragged it the odd hundreds of miles all the way back to to the Santa Barbara police department, throw it to the ground and stand proud before his doing? It had to be a big tree, ten feet tall and as thick as a pine could be. He'd present it to whole department, holding it with his bare hands and swung over his shoulder.

_I'd like to see the look on Spencer's face_. Lassiter thought smugly as he stood out in the powdered forest, smirking to himself about his fantasy.

Lassiter knew that his daydream was but a daydream but he allowed himself a few quiet moments to enjoy it. He did that sometimes, emersing himself in little daytime fantasies. He caught himself doing it all the time during the Civil War reenactments but even those were fantasies. Wars weren't fought like that anymore, gun to gun and man to man. No, now there were bombs and machine guns, covert missions and spies and the like. Things Lassiter was sure would fill Shawn's fantasies that was if Shawn ever daydreamed of war. It certainly wouldn't be anything close to Lassiter's daydreams. Shawn's were sure to be full of elaborate frivolity.

_Nothing simple and honest in Spencer's head._

And it was that exact thought and moment in which Lassiter was hit in the back of the head with a snowball.

Lassiter turned around quickly and his hand pawed at his hip for the ghost of his gun. A look of absolute irritation was transfixed on Lassiter's face.

"Who's there?" he called out.

While Lassiter had his backed turned before, someone had forged a barricade of snow a good few yards in the distance. Lassiter looked at it critically now, searching. The barricade wasn't high enough though and the enemy's head poked out above it, revealing a blue and green knit beanie.

"Come out with your hands up!" Lassite demanded.

A pair of gloved hands came up, showing surrender.

"That's it," Lassiter encouraged, "Now come out and I won't retaliate."

"I'm sorry mister! I didn't mean it!" a high voice squeaked out.

Lassiter raised a questioning eyebrow. So a child had thrown a snowball at him? Well, children _are_ children or so he supposed and the little offender had apologized. Besides, Lassiter knew he couldn't in good conscience throw a snowball back at a kid. It was undignified and childish and, most importantly, his mandated therapist said he wasn't allowed to do things like that anymore.

"So you're sorry then?" Lassiter called out.

The beanie rose quickly and under it was Shawn Spencer with a snowball in his hand.

"Not really, no." Shawn mused before he threw the snowy bomb towards Lassiter.

Lassiter ducked quickly, his face barely avoiding a barrage of powdery shrapnel. He looked over his shoulder and saw the snowball explode into pieces against a tree behind him before looking back to Shawn.

"Spencer, what are you doing here!"

Shawn grinned as he held his arm back to fire another snowball.

"I believe I'm trying to pelt you with snowballs. It'd be much easier if you stopped moving."

Shawn catapulted the snowball with expert force, a shot only years of baseball had prepared him for.

Lassiter ducked again. He could hear the snowball whiz past his ear. Shawn was pretty good at power but his aim seemed off. It was probably the weight difference between a baseball and a snowball. It was throwing Shawn off just the slightest bit.

"Spencer!" Lassiter shouted.

"Tell you what, Lassie," Shawn paused, "if you can get to me without getting hit by a snowball, I lose and you win but if I hit you first, you lose and I win."

"Win what?" Lassiter growled in annoyance.

"The ability to make the other do whatever he wants. I'd be careful, Lassie, my demands might have something to do with a monkey suit and a stick of butter but I've yet to decide."

"I'm not going...wait...anything?" Lassiter asked as he began to get out of his crouching position.

"Anything," Shawn replied.

_Anything..._Lassiter pondered.

With Shawn at Lassiter's command, Lassiter could fulfill a number desires. He could make Shawn back off any case at any given time. He could force him to never say something stupid in his presence ever again. He could get rid of the accursed 'Lassie' nickname forever and all of its subnames like 'Lassy face' and 'Lassafrass'.

_Or..._

Lassiter could make Shawn admit that he wasn't psychic.

"Fine! It's a bet!" Lassiter shouted.

"Really?" Shawn asked, unsure.

"Yes really! We've got a deal, Spencer!"

"Sweet! Game on!" Shawn shouted as he threw a snowball full force at Lassiter.

Lassiter escaped the snowball just in time. His target wasn't far. A quick enough sprint and he'd have the enemy in no time.

_It' just a matter of getting past the gunfire._

Suddenly, Lassiter was his brave and bearded Civil War counterpart, heading toward enemy lines. He ducked and rolled away from rapid snowball fire, even crawling at some points. He was close to his victory, liberating his department from the phony psychic. He'd be a hero.

"Wait, Lassie! Wait! I can't make snowballs that fast! Time out!" Shawn yelled frantically, disappearing behind his barricade wall.

_He's out of ammo._

Lassiter got up from his crawling position and sprinted the last few feet at full force. He was going to win. _Finally_, he was going to outdo Shawn.

Lassiter approached the barricade, arms ready to reach out and tackle the enemy and claim his prize. And then...it happened.

In slow motion, Lassiter watched as Shawn rose from the behind the barricade. He looked frightened at first as if he knew that the end was near and then he grinned. From behind his back, he pulled out a snowball. It wasn't possible for him to make one so quickly especially one so perfect in form. He'd been hiding it. The lack of ammo had been a ploy to get Lassiter into a more convenient position.

_Brilliant._ Lassiter thought briefly before the snowball hit him square in the face.

The icy snow was as cold and painful as the defeat Lassiter felt.

"I win!" Shawn cheered, "Yes! In your face Lassafrass!"

Lassiter wiped the snow off his face in one constricted and violent movement.

"SPENCER!" Lassiter fumed.

Shawn's face dropped conveying an expression that could only be described as his 'oh shit' face. Shawn turned around and started running with full speed just as Lassiter began to chase him.

"Lassie! We have bet remember? If you kill me then I can't make my demands! Oh, God, how are you running this fast at your age?"

**A/N: How is Lassiter running so fast? Because he is not Lassiter but Civil Lassiter! Using his uber beard and combed mustache, Civil Lassiter can run at superhuman speeds, leap buildings and disapprovingly glare at you until you disintegrate. :/ Lol, more to come, I promise.**


	2. The Demands

**A/N: As promised, I bring the second chapter to the short and sweet Shassie fic _More Than My Word, _**_**A Very Shassie Christmas**_**. Put down you presents and cookies and read away! :D**

Lassiter sat in the lodge glaring at Shawn. He sipped at his cup of warm apple cider occasionally but his eyes never abandoned Shawn. Lassiter wanted Shawn to feel the hatred he felt for him at that moment. He wanted Shawn to squirm under that icy and never ending gaze.

Shawn looked back at Lassiter seemingly half nervous and half amused but squirming nonetheless.

"Oh, come on, Lassie. Enough already," Shawn said attempting to sound playful but sounding uncomfortable anyway.

"You just had to struggled," Lassiter finally stated, breaking his silence.

It wasn't just the fact that they both had ran all the way back to lodge. It wasn't just that Shawn struggled so much that Lassiter had to to full body tackle and attempt to pin him. No, it was the fact that Shawn had begun to scream 'rape' and the lodge security had to forcibly remove the two men, embarrassing Lassiter in front of every guest and staff member in the lodge.

"Y'know," Shawn said slyly as he changed the subject, "I _did_ win the bet."

"You honestly think I took that seriously?" Lassiter scoffed.

"Oh, Lassie," Shawn said disapprovingly before taking his know-it-all tone, "I know you took it seriously. Besides, you have too much of that dignity and honor stuff in your system to break our bet."

"Spencer, I'm not doing anything you say especially anything to do with a monkey suit and a stick of butter," Lassiter grunted.

Shawn dropped his gaze casually and shrugged.

"All right, Lassy face, whatever you say."

Lassiter rolled his eyes.

_Spencer, as if I'd ever take commands from you. I'd sooner-_

"I just always thought of you as a man of your word," Shawn said with a disappointed sigh.

Lassiter's gaze snapped up to look at Shawn. No one questioned the strength of Lassiter's word, that was like questioning Lassiter's very manhood.

Shawn continued to fake his over dramatic disappointment, leaning towards a full blown depression. Lassiter knew not to take the reaction seriously but it nagged at his ego. They _had_ made a bet and Lassiter _did_ lose.

__It was just Shawn though and when it came down to it if Shawn had lost he wouldn't have willingly given in to Lassiter's demand.

_But I would have made him. Because real men come through with their bets..._

"Fine," Lassiter sighed as he set down his cider a bit too harshly, "but before I take any of your ridiculous requests, tell me what you're doing here."

Shawn leaned back, pleased with himself. He threw one leg over the other and sat there, cross legged and smirking.

"Ol' Gus thought the lodge out here might be a good place to meet women since I've kind of run through all the singles in Santa Barbra. He's a sweet man that Gus. Always concerned for me...even if that does mean stopping me from para-sailing off of Everest in a Batman costume."

There it was, one of Shawn's ridiculous daydreams just as intricately stupid as Lassiter imagined it.

_Nothing simple in his head._

"Nonetheless, I am here to scout out women preferably ones not native to Santa Barbara as they'll already know me and my charms. "

"Oh sure they will." Lassiter mocked, "You really expect me to believe that you gone through every woman in town?"

"Your disbelief aside, I've decided to find some new hunting grounds and I thought to myself; what better place to search for someone on Christmas Eve than in a ski lodge?"

Shawn had been single for over a year. Juliet had been transferred to a different department and promoted. She took it of course as she should have but the distance proved to be too big a difficulty for Shawn and her. They split up in a matter of months. The last Lassiter heard, Jules was thinking about settling down with a marine. She ended up pretty okay which was much more than anyone could say for Shawn.

He was left heart broken.

"I thought you said Gus sent you."

"Well, he didn't so much send me as unknowingly paid for it," Shawn pointed, "I like to think I informed him via psychic bond but poor old Gus was never very good at receiving my messages."

Lassiter couldn't believe what he was hearing. So Shawn had stolen Gus's money again. Lassiter knew he could get him in trouble for it but knowing Guster, Shawn wouldn't be charged with anything more than a mild mannered scolding.

"So you're here for women then?" Lassiter said still in some disbelief.

"Sadly, not anymore. As you can see, Lassie, there aren't any women here worth going after. They're all old or have families or are taken."

It was true. Lassiter had kept an eye out for women himself since he too was single. Marlowe was out of the picture for quite some time now. She'd been let out of prison early only to decide to leave Lassiter, being unable to disassociate him with the arrest and the trauma she'd suffered in jail. She sent a post card to him for the Holidays. She was living in Canada, starting anew and trying to create a life for her brother to come home to. She was doing really well. Lassiter was too...sort of.

The memory of Marlowe bothered him just as all the memories of his past significant others did but time had passed. Wounds had scarred. He'd be all right.

"No, now it is my mission to come up with some interesting demand for you." Shawn continued, interrupting Lassiter's thoughts, "The monkey suit and butter are no longer an option. I'm thinking something bigger."

_Oh God,_ Lassiter thought as he braced himself, _what equates to _bigger_ in Shawn's mind?_

Lassiter watched cautiously as Shawn's eyes darted around the room. They almost seemed to be scanning for something. The brown irises bounced left and right, up and down in search for ideas and Lassiter watched them cautiously.

"Got it!" Shawn announced as his eyes landed on their prize.

Lassiter jumped a little. He was so busy looking at Shawn's eyes that the sudden outburst had caught him off guard.

"All right," Lassiter cleared his throat, "let's get it over with."

"All right, Lassie," Shawn said as he stood triumphantly and held out his hand, "follow me!"

Lassie stood up and smacked down Shawn's hand. He didn't need assistance getting up and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Shawn lead him to their destination. Shawn frowned but ultimately began walking. Lassiter followed behind as he was told. There was a somber sense to his walk coupled with utter annoyance. Whatever Shawn was going to make him do would at least be done here and now as opposed to at a latter date and in front of a bigger audience. There was some saving grace in that.

_I hope._

"I thought you'd be home, Spencer," Lassiter tried to delay his imminent mortification, "or celebrating with Guster and his family."

"Not important right now. Now, if you would be as so kind as to stand under that archway?"

Lassiter looked at Shawn skeptically before eyeing the archway Shawn was pointing to.

"You just want me to stand there?" Lassiter asked.

"That is part one of my ingenious plan, yes."

Lassiter walked over to the archway and stood under it as he was told. His arms dropped dramatically, stressing how ridiculous and stupid he found the whole ordeal to be.

"Now," Shawn said, "Here are the ground rules. Rule number one: you may not move from that spot."

"You're not seriously going to make me stand here all night, are you?"

"Of course not, Lassie, that wouldn't be amusing enough. Rule number two: You may leave that spot if you can get someone to stand next to you under the same archway."

"...you've lost me Spencer. What is this accomplishing?"

"I'm so glad you asked. Rule number three: you must abide by all holiday customs and traditions. I'll ask you now to look directly above you."

Lassiter was still suspicious and confused but looked up anyway. There, hanging down from the arch was mistletoe. It was a half a foot above Lassiter's head and the plant seemed to greet him as it slowly swayed from side to side.

"Shawn, what are you up to?"

"Rule number four! Or, as I would like to call it, an extension of rule number three. You must abide by all holiday customs _regardless_ of manners, right and wrong, or social norms."

Lassiter tried to make sense of Shawn's madness.

_I can't leave this spot unless someone stands here with me. I'm standing under mistletoe. I must abide all holiday traditions and customs regardless of social norms. I'm standing under mistletoe...what was mistletoe for again?_

"Basically, Lassie," Shawn said, "You can't leave that spot until you kiss somebody."

Lassiter's mouth dropped a bit.

"What?"

"That's right. You've got to kiss somebody under that mistletoe. It can be anyone. It has to be anyone."

"What if she's married!" Lassiter protested.

"_Regardless_ of social norms. She could be married and pregnant but you've got to kiss her anyway. Which brings me to rule number five, or four if you considered the previous four as an extension of three."

"No more rules!"

"Whoever you kiss," Shawn continued loudly, "You've really got to plant one one them. None of that shy peck stuff."

Lassiter was dumbstruck. He was at a loss for words. The utter stupidity and childishness of this nonsense had struck Lassiter with dumbfounded silence.

For all of five seconds.

"You want me to engage in a kissing dare, Spencer? What next? Are you going to have me ding dong ditch the lodge?"

"Tempting but no. One bet, one ridiculous request," Shawn concluded.

Lassiter began to take a step away from the archway.

"I am _not_ going to-"

"Man of your word," Shawn coughed.

Lassiter glared at Shawn as he stepped back into place. He was trapped. As stupid as Shawn's game was Lassiter was compelled to prove himself.

"You're such a child, Spencer."

"I have been a little more myself lately, haven't I?" Shawn mused.

**A/N: And now a brief intermission. Continue with your presents and cookies if you must and if not...well I like presents and cookies. I can steal- I mean hold them for you. :)**


	3. More Than a Bet

**A/N: The concluding part of the mini holiday special, _More Than My Word, _**_**A Very Shassie Christmas**_**. Enjoy.**

Lassiter had stood in his spot for _hours_. Daylight had slipped into night and still Lassiter had not completed his challenge. He tried but everyone who passed by him didn't stop long enough for Lassiter to do the deed and he couldn't move to chase after them. Not that there were very many people. It _was_ Christmas. Most people were at home with their spouses and children, with their families and loved ones.

Shawn watched Lassiter from afar. He'd gone to the trouble of borrowing a book. Lassiter assumed it was so he'd look less suspicious. Shawn would look up from his book every now and then and give Lassiter a challenging look, raising that damn eyebrow of his all coy and expectant.

Lassiter had given up hope by midnight. He'd tried having preferences earlier, only trying to stop a semi-attractive, recently divorced woman in her late fifties and then a younger, more attractive and married woman but both ended in failure. The women didn't notice Lassiter. They just walked right past him like he wasn't even there.

Lassiter leaned against the archway, his feet starting to hurt from the prolonged standing. He looked over at Shawn and watched him for a moment.

Shawn had that look on his face, the one where he seemed to be concentrating. He was looking at the text in his hands like it was something to decipher. Shawn's brow was furrowed and his mouth was in a straight line. His eyes squinted a little as if trying to see something beyond page and ink. He was so serious.

Lassiter smiled a little. It was nice to see Shawn make that signature face when he wasn't upstaging him and solving his cases. In fact, it was almost a pleasant face to see. It really made Lassiter feel like Shawn was back to his old self.

When Juliet had transferred and dumped Shawn, Shawn was a wreck for a long time. He was depressed and quiet. He still solved cases but he did so with less joy and adventurism. It was like he was going through the motions. Gus and Chief Vic were constantly worried about him. Lassiter hated to admit it but, after a while, he began to worry too. Shawn just wasn't himself after Juliet. He changed.

Shawn looked up from his book, looked around, stood up and walked towards Lassiter. He eyed the wall near the archway before resting his back against it. He slid down the wall and into a sitting position. Lassiter turned to look at him and Shawn looked back at him. They were adjacent and as soon as they made eye contact, Lassiter quickly faced forward.

"Well, Lassie, everyone's gone so I figured I'd keep you company," Shawn said.

"You mean you're not going to leave me to stand here all night?" Lassiter grunted.

"No. I may be silly and frivolous but I'm not rude," Shawn said, feigning hurt.

Lassiter pondered this. He knew it was a lie. Shawn was rude all the time if not blatantly obnoxious but Lassiter understood what Shawn meant. Shawn made a stupid command but Lassiter wasn't going to suffer alone.

"Of all the things I've suspected of you," Lassiter said, "comradery wasn't one of them."

"You suspect other things about me?" Shawn asked curiously.

"Many."

Lassiter questioned everything Shawn did and he had his theories too. He usually wrote it off to Shawn being a big kid though. He'd never be anything more than a teenager which explained why he was impatient, rude and a punk.

The lobby of the lodge was empty expect for Shawn and Lassiter. At that rate, they really would be there all night. Not to mention people's innate laziness would force them to wait there most of the morning too since the other guests were sure to sleep in.

"Really, Spencer," Lassiter sighed, "what is this all about?"

Lassiter turned his body to look at Shawn who stared right back at him.

"Honestly, Lassie?"

"No, dishonestly. Yes, honestly!"

"Well I can't give you both." Shawn said stubbornly, "Make up your mind, please."

Lassiter smacked his palm to his forehead. Was he cursed to walk the earth at the same time Shawn did? Couldn't Lassiter have been born five or six decades earlier? It was like he was under some divine punishment.

"Honesty, please," he clarified, frustrated.

"Okay," Shawn took in a deep breath, "I'm worried about you."

"What?"

Shawn turned his whole body to face Lassiter more. The corner of the wall separated them still but Lassiter could see most of Shawn and vice versa.

"I'm _worried_ about you, Lassie," Shawn elaborated, "You haven't been out on one date since Marlowe left you. Time has passed. You need to move one. Hit on people. Be brave."

"I need to move on?" Lassiter scoffed, "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You haven't been out since Juliet."

The whole room went silence. Shawn turned away slowly and Lassiter felt regret crawling up his throat. Mentioning Juliet made Shawn instantly depressed. He hadn't meant to bring her up but it had slipped out anyway.

"Spencer..."

"I'm over her, y'know," Shawn said quietly, "I am totally over her. It's just that-"

Lassiter leaned in a little.

"Just what?" he asked, still stern.

"Never mind. We're not talking about me. We're talking about you," Shawn redirected, "As I was saying. I'm worried about you. I think you need to be braver-"

"Braver? I'm a cop, Spencer. I consider myself pretty brave."

"All right. You need to be a little more," Shawn searched for the word, "open."

"Open? Open to what?"

Shawn turned back around again. His eyes had a shimmer to them and he seemed to reanimate. Lassiter felt a smile tug at his lips. Shawn could be very pleasant as long as he wasn't teasing Lassiter. There were certain faces he would make that Lassiter found himself enjoying. All sort of little expressions and quirks that he hadn't consciously noticed before.

_Because I didn't miss them they way I have been._

"The possibilities, Lassy face!" Shawn ranted, "If you constrict yourself to awkward, attractive women your age then you'll never find someone but there are so many people out there."

That did make sense. Lassiter wasn't exactly a ladies man and most women Lassiter's age were married or involved or happily living out their cougar days at the bar.

"There are older women, younger women..."

Lassiter began nodding in agreement. He hadn't really dated outside his age group. Dating a younger woman might be good for him. Women his age couldn't quite keep up with him anyway. Maybe Shawn was on to something.

"...younger men."

_Right, younger me-_

"You want to run that by me again?" Lassiter asked, his brow knit.

"It's a big world out there, Lassie," Shawn reasoned, "Maybe you're search isn't for a woman your age. Maybe not a woman at all."

"Shawn," Lassiter said plainly, "I don't find this funny."

"I'm serious!" Shawn said, "Having a relationship with a man can be a very fulfilling experience."

Lassiter paused for a second. How would Shawn know that a homosexual relationship could be fulfilling? What grounds did he have to make that assumption?

_Unless..._

"Shawn," Lassiter asked cautiously, "Are you...gay?"

Shawn stared down Lassiter bravely even though his face had started to turn red. Clearly, even to Lassiter, he was embarrassed but he looked at Lassiter in the eyes all the same.

"So what if I was?" Shawn asked, "What if I am? Does it bother you?"

Lassiter looked down at Shawn. Shawn stared back, his face challenging. There was something about the big, bold cut of Shawn's nose that made him seem defiant to Lassiter. It really was quiet an impressive nose, straight and definitive. It contrasted with the soft looking lips below it and the stray locks of brown hair that fell on the forehead above it.

"No," Lassiter said, "Of course not. I'm just a little surprised is all."

"Good," Shawn said, still serious and defensive.

Lassiter turned away from Shawn. How was he suppose to approach him now? He was...gay. He was a homosexual. He was-

_A fag._

Lassiter peaked around the corner at Shawn. Shawn had turned away again and his head had dropped. Lassiter had the strongest urge to touch Shawn, maybe put a hand on his shoulder though he couldn't say why. Lassiter wasn't the comforting type but maybe that was why he felt the urge. Maybe Shawn needed some comfort.

"That's my problem, Lassie," Shawn said suddenly, "I may be over Jules but there's someone else. Someone I don't think I'll ever get over."

"Is...is it a man?" Lassiter asked, feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

"No, it's a duck," Shawn said sarcastically, "specifically the one form the Aflac commercials. That voice, it gets me every time."

"I'm not going to lie, Shawn. This conversation is making me very...uncomfortable. I don't know how to speak gay."

Shawn rolled his eyes and looked up at Lassiter. His face was all disapproval, his strong nose pointing at Lassiter and those brown eyes squinting to scrutinize him.

"First of all, gay is a sexual orientation not a language and second, I'm not gay. I'm bisexual."

Lassiter felt embarrassed. As conservative a republican as he was, he couldn't outright say that he had a problem with the gays. His own mother was a homosexual. He accepted lesbians, no problem but a gay guy...a gay Shawn?

_What would Mother say? _Lassiter thought.

Lassiter sighed. He would try to talk about the subject. After all, he was stuck there with Shawn for the night and...

_When Marlowe left me...Shawn was there for me even though I didn't want him...he was still there._

Lassiter recalled drunken nights and Shawn driving him home. Shawn encouraging him to get up and move on. The kind words and generous compliments. He complimented his eyes a lot. If Lassiter didn't know any better, he'd say Shawn genuinely liked them.

"So," Lassiter tried to approach the subject, "What's the issue with this guy?"

"He's not interested in dick, much less mine."

"Do you have to phrase it that way?" Lassiter scolded.

"Sorry! He's not into guys and he's really not into me, okay?" Shawn reworded, slightly annoyed.

"Well, that's a simple solution," Lassiter declared, "Stop being interested. No point in wasting time with non mutual feelings."

"I'm not _just_ interested in him, Lassie."

Lassiter looked at Shawn curiously. Shawn still stared at his knees. He really did strike Lassiter as a child sometimes but now it felt more endearing than annoying. Shawn just sat there on the floor, knees to his chest like a kid in time out. Lassiter stayed in place but his mind entertained the idea of getting down to Shawn's level, putting an arm around, doing those things that people seem to do to comfort one another.

Shawn suddenly looked up at Lassiter. His eyes seemed a little more open. They'd stopped squinting long enough to see the big picture. His pupils dilated as he looked at Lassiter. Those bring brown eyes seemed to invite Lassiter in, calling him to see the big picture they'd uncovered.

"I love him," Shawn admitted, his voice a little choked up.

Lassiter could feel his ears start to burn a little. Hearing Shawn say that word was a little unsettling and somewhat embarrassing. Lassiter was bothered by the word 'love.' Shawn wasn't allowed to use that word. It was a word for adults.

"How do you know you love this-" Lassiter hesitated, "this man?"

"It started off little like I started to notice all these faces he'd make."

If Lassiter had been walking, he would have frozen in his tracks. His ears seemed to perk up a bit.

"I kept having this urge to touch him too. I always wanted to touch him. Nothing big or anything. Just a hand on his shoulder or something."

Lassiter's ears grew hotter and redder. He started to feel his pulse in them. Shawn was listing the very things Lassiter had been thinking lately.

_It's just a coincidence._ Lassiter tried to assure himself.

"And then I realized how much a liked things about his face. His lips, his hair, his eyes..."

_Calm down, Carlton, he didn't say-_

"His nose..." Shawn listed before continuing, "What really got me was his eyes. I started to see...beyond them if you will. There was more to them than color. There was a message...a bigger picture-"

"Enough!" Lassiter shouted, his ears beat red and his heart thudding in his ear drums.

"What?" Shawn asked, slightly concerned and very surprised.

"I get it," Lassiter diverted, "You love this guy. I asked for a reason not a novel."

Lassiter didn't want to hear anymore. Hearing Shawn talk about his love for this man made Lassiter uncomfortable and embarrassed and annoyed. Hearing Shawn speak his thoughts irritated him further. It was like he was reading his mind and he hated the idea that Shawn could even remotely come off as psychic.

More importantly, he hated that Shawn was describing everything Lassiter was feeling and that Shawn's feelings were for some... stranger.

"I don't think you do get it," Shawn argued, "This man was the very reason I got up in the morning after Jules left me without ever saying a word to me about it."

"Okay, Spencer." Lassiter continued to fight it.

"I'd do anything for him. I don't anything for anyone but I'd do anything for him."

"I said, okay," Lassiter said, his voice starting to rise.

"He may not really like me but I know he cares about me. He has to."

"Enough, Spencer!" Lassiter shouted, trying to drown him out.

"I'd die for him!" Shawn shouted just as loudly and standing up to his feet.

"Argh!" Lassiter leaned around the corner and tried to cover Shawn's mouth.

"I'd give anything for him just to know how I feel!" Shawn shouted louder as he pushed Lassiter's hand away.

"Shut up!" Lassiter grabbed Shawn's shirt collar with one hand.

"I'd give up my Christmas for him!" Shawn yelled, "Every Christmas!"

Lassiter couldn't take it anymore. He pulled Shawn around the corner and shoved him against the opposite end of the archway.

"I love him so much that I followed him to a ski lodge, out into the forest in fucking freezing weather, made a stupid bet, threw snowballs at him, and have been sitting in _that_ chair for the past I don't know how many hours trying to muster up the damn courage to get up and do- this!"

Shawn grabbed Lassiter by the shoulders, pulled him forward and pressed his lips against Lassiter's mouth.

Lassiter couldn't pull away. Slowly, his grip on Shawn's shirt collar loosened until his arms slid right off of the younger man. Lassiter's eyes were wide open and his mouth was still slightly ajar if from nothing but the shock of it all.

That strong nose of Shawn's was against Lassiter's face. Shawn's lips were as soft as they looked and in the closeness of their state, Lassiter caught the scent of pineapple that lingered on Shawn. Lassiter stared at Shawn's closed eyes, searching for the hiding brown irises, searching for answer.

_It's...me? I'm...I'm the man Shawn's in love with?_

Shawn pulled his face away from Lassiter's but his hands still lingered on his shoulders. His face resumed the angry and focused expression it had before the kiss as he continued to yell as if Shawn had never paused to do something so serene and tender.

"And I am sorry but I could not live the rest of my life without doing that!"

Lassiter was still in shock. His eyes were still as wide as before and his arms hung at his sides, limp and useless.

"You...love me?"

"Yes! Okay! I love you!" Shawn continued to shout, "And now that it's public knowledge, I am going to crawl under a rock and live out the rest of my days as a hermit!"

Shawn took a side step and Lassiter's arms responded instantaneously. Lassiter grabbed Shawn by the shoulders. He stared at him, firm and resolute.

"Where are you going?" Lassiter demanded.

"I just explained this. I'm heading for subterranean hermitude."

Shawn tried to walk away again but Lassiter's grip was iron.

"I lost a bet." Lassiter reminded him.

Shawn's eyes closed for a moment. He was trying to hold something back and Lassiter wanted nothing more than to force his eyes open. There was no hiding anything anymore. Not in a time and a place and a moment like this.

"You don't have to keep your word, Lassie. Please, I'm _begging_ you not to," Shawn said, his eyes still shut.

"You listen to me Spencer," Lassiter informed him, "I always keep my word."

"I don't want it Lassie, it doesn't- it's not how I pictured it in my head."

Lassiter released one of Shawn's shoulders. Lassiter reached up, his hand hovering near Shawn's face. Slowly, his fingers made contact with Shawn's cheek.

"Open your eyes, damn it." Lassiter said, "Look at me."

Shawn's eyes slowly opened, they were shy and hesitant. Lassiter could see the emotion in Shawn's. Every crease and pore said something all on its own. Lassiter was almost in shock of how well he could read Shawn's face. Lassiter was terribly with social and emotional cues but Shawn was different. Lassiter could read the embarrassment in Shawn's creased lids, the temptation to trust in his rising eyelashes. Lassiter knew this face. He knew it because, in his own way, he loved it.

Lassiter let his fingers linger on Shawn's cheek. His movements were slow and deliberate but tender as his thumb caressed the bridge of Shawn's nose. His index finger rested under Shawn's eye. Lassiter's hand trailed downwards until it gently cupped Shawn's chin. Lassiter's thumb rested on Shawn's lips, tracing the pink lines softly.

_He's beautiful._ Lassiter admitted to himself.

"Shawn," Lassiter said quietly, "this is more than my word."

Lassiter kissed Shawn tenderly, softer than he'd ever kissed anyone before. It was so delicate that it hurt. Lassiter's heart was pounding in his chest, crying out for more and crying out for less. Lassiter pulled away slowly, just enough to part their lips but close enough to kiss again.

"Not a day went by that I didn't worry about you," Lassiter said quietly, closing his eyes, "I wanted to comfort you and bring you back but you know me...I'm not good at that stuff."

Lassiter opened his eyes and took a step back as Shawn's body impacted with his. Shawn had thrown his arms around him, half tackle half hug. He gripped him tightly. Lassiter didn't know what to say. Years they had known each other and Shawn had offered his hugs on many occasions but Lassiter had never expected this. Shawn's embrace was warm, needy almost. If Lassiter had known that Shawn had wanted...needed this embrace so badly he would have given it sooner.

Lassiter couldn't say for himself what had just happened. The implications of this one night were endless. Did this mean that Lassiter was gay? Gay just for Shawn? In love with Shawn? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that he wasn't stop what was happening. He wanted it whatever that meant. Lassiter brought his arms up and found himself holding Shawn just as tight.

"Lassie, this isn't just because of the bet is it?" Shawn said, filling the silence.

"No, Shawn."

"Is it because it's Christmas?"

"No."

"So then you-"

"Just shut up and let me hold you, Spencer," Lassiter instructed softly, "Just...let me hold you."

**A/N: And thus concludes the holiday fluff! I was actually really happy not to write sexy sex scenes for this. I know, blasphemy right? XD Nah, it was nice to write something short and sweet and innocent and _short_. I've got lots of fics to finish but I'll pick them up after New Year's. Merry Christmas everybody! :) **


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